Love, Joy, Peace

September 3, 2011

After teaching my second day of the 2011-2012 school year, I sat down on my bed and confessed, “God, if yesterday and today are a foreshadowing of the next 178 days of school, I’m not going to make it.” After further expressing my discouragement, I continued my daily devotional and read through the end of Galatians.

But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. -Galatians 5:5-8

Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. -Galatians 6:7-10

How good God is that He faithfully reassures us of His Sovereignty!

Since that first week of school, God has revealed that He desires me to be completely committed to serving him here. His desire isn’t just for me to focus on my job; His desire is that I be content and grateful for each day He’s given me regardless of my circumstances. As I’ve mentioned in past updates, I have a terrible habit of choosing to live in the future. And so I once again I am faced with this battle to trust and obey God instead of listening to the Deceiver’s lies that leave me dissatisfied with the here and now. Thankfully, we have a gracious, loving Father who provides us with all the encouragement and wisdom we need through His Spirit and His Word.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:4-9

So that’s what I’ve been doing: daily seeking joy and peace through expressions of thanksgiving and gratefulness.

It’s been over a month since I first started letting God really move me towards contentedness and in that time I’ve been amazed at how much my perspective and attitude have changed. I can truly embrace the job He’s given me here and pour myself into preparing and teaching these kids.

School has improved, or perhaps just my mindset has, but it is still quite intense. I am gaining incredible amounts of knowledge and learning even more about how to be a patient teacher. This school year is particularly challenging for the girls, who work the entire day and stay up late to complete all of their assignments. Please pray for them specifically that they would remain diligent, positive, and receptive.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for your encouraging words and congratulations. Ben made it back safely to the States and was able to catch up at work. He enjoyed his time here, but is glad to be back in an English-speaking country. We have begun the wedding planning process and are excited to be able to slowly move that along.

I can’t thank you enough for all of the love and support you have shown me these last few months! God is so good and I wish I could share all of the little things He is doing here. Please know that I covet your prayers and am striving to live each day fully committed to the task He has given me.

Indebted to Christ and Joyfully Following His Will,
Julie

July/August Newsletter

Daily Activities

“What have I been doing since my last update?” Every email update begins with me asking myself this question. Usually, my response requires prayer and meditation and then slowly unfolds, but this time the answer came quickly. Almost immediately, I realized that they all my thoughts were concentrated on different aspects of my daily life that have changed since arriving in West Africa. Most of these were slow changes, occurring primarily in my perception and understanding; however, within the last month or so, they seem to have finally manifested themselves as daily activities.

Daily Surrendering to God

As I’ve mentioned before, I struggle with giving God control of my life on the micro-level. I forget that time, energy, and opportunity are given to us as gifts from God. We have no “right” to them; they are not owed to us. My mind has slowly been absorbing this concept and allowed it to transform my thinking and - with it - my desires and actions.

I found that during a particularly trying time this past month I was driven to the point where I had to go to God daily and hand over everything I was thinking, feeling, and wanting. Reflecting on that time now, I can say that I have never poured myself out to God to such a degree for so long each day for such an extended period of time. One explanation is that this conglomeration of situations required surrender on a much larger scale than past circumstances, but I suspect there’s more to it. I think the Holy Spirit has been busy in my heart and mind and through His changes and guidance I was capable of surrendering to God on a level I’ve never known before.

As I’ve moved out of that difficult period, I’ve found that my desire to commune with God is greater and more genuine than before. Through this, I’ve found myself engaging in more intimate prayer with God and appreciating the time I spend in His Word. Admittedly, I fail to do both daily, but that is my aim. I am praying that my desire for knowing Him continues to increase and that that intrinsic yearning will urge me to overcome my indolence.

Daily Focusing on the Present

This section’s title may seem redundant, but it illustrates the battle I’m constantly fighting in my head. You see, I live in the future. I rarely think of the here and now. Without restraint, my thoughts are ever pondering what will happen: What lessons am I teaching today? What book will I read next? How will I teach the next chapter? What movie are we going to watch Friday night? What will I research (or waste time on) the next time I have Internet access? When will I be going back to the States? Where will God lead me when I’m back in the States?

I suppose I’ve always justified these thoughts as necessary in order to be productive and effective with the time we’re given; however, I am learning that, in excess, they steal my joy because they work against God’s Design. When I allow myself to live outside of the present, I concede my ability to be content and never realize or truly enjoy the blessings God has already bestowed upon me.

As I’ve attempted to continually concentrate on the present, I’ve seen some unanticipated, yet welcome, results. For one, I seem to be a much happier worker. Meaning I allow myself to enjoy whatever it is that I’m doing instead of thinking about all the other things I need to do and can’t because of the work at hand. Of course my mood improvement is appreciated across the board and allows my interactions with others to be much more fulfilling. In addition, I seem to actually be more productive. At the end of the day, I can look back and be proud of the work that I did willingly and the conversations I had cheerfully. Now, I admit this productivity could just be an illusion. In the past, I did a lot of work but “never enough” because my incessant looking forward reminded me of all the work yet to be done. Regardless of when I am actually more productive, I’ll gladly take the worry-free, joyful, daily-focusing-on-the-present me.

Isn’t it amazing how God’s Design is always better than our own? This truth has been revealed to me time and time again, yet I still choose another path and am surprised when it causes me pain and heartache. Please pray that I continue to grow in my intimacy with God and in my faith in His Plan and Path for me. Please pray that I can continue to surrender my desires and concerns daily so that I may enjoy and be content in all that He has already given me.

Thank you for all of the love and support you have shown me these last several months! Your prayers and emails are a huge encouragement and greatly appreciated. So please don’t hesitate to update me on your life because I also love to hear how you are doing and how I can better pray for you!

Indebted to Christ and Joyfully Serving Him,
Julie

4½ Months and the Honeymoon is Over

My time in West Africa is flying by! The past month was incredibly busy with visitors, my moving into another house, school projects, a lengthy and well-planned trip to the capital, and a change in family dynamics. Only just recently has the action slowed down and allowed us to feel a return of normalcy in our schedules. However, as I settle back into village life, I have become quite aware that my rose-colored glasses have faded to translucent. Although I still love living here, I sense that the village has lost some of its luster and appeal. In a way, I’m glad it finally happened. I’ve wondered for some time when the newness and grandeur would wear off and how I’d react. So far, my reaction has been to spend my free time playing Ultimate Frisbee, walking with other missionary women, and reading for hours.

While my time here has shifted from the “honeymoon” phase into the “reality” phase, the Litsey family has undergone a substantial transition as well. At the end of April, James, Lisa, the kids, and I made the trip to the capital for our tri-annual Branch Meeting. At the conclusion of our trip, Lisa flew back to the United States with Fatu and Laura, both of whom will be continuing their education in Kentucky. In the meantime, Lisa is working with their schools and those hosting the girls and won’t return to Africa for another few weeks. It is because of this move that family dynamics have been shifting in the Litsey household, as the older girls take their place as leaders and as everyone works to fill Lisa’s shoes. That means that I now teach every class and am kept quite busy with planning, preparing, reading, teaching, grading, and tutoring four kids.

Because of timing issues, the Litseys’ schoolyear began late and will also end late. My current projection has the boys finishing up a week into June and the girls at the beginning of July. That will give us around a month for summer vacation before we start up again in August. Lisa and I have already been discussing next year’s curriculum and I must say I’m a little intimidated. I never realized how much reading was involved in homeschooling curriculums! Thankfully, I love to read, learn, and be kept busy, so I guess this is the perfect place for me. In case you’re wondering, the subjects I’ll be teaching next year include: Algebra I & II, Physical Science, Biology, 9th & 10th Grade Language Arts, General World History, 20th Century World History, French, and General Computer Skills.

As this school year winds down and I finish its necessary reading, there are a few activities I hope to engage in. One is to start working with a local, French-speaking woman to begin to study the local language. I am really excited to learn some of the more advanced greetings as well as the basic structure of the language. In addition to learning the local language, I need to be honing my French. I taught some introductory French classes in April to assess the students’ aptitudes and realized that I desperately need to improve my rusty version of French, which is greatly influenced by Haitian Creole. Of course, I would also love to get a head start on next schoolyear’s material and maybe even get to read some just-for-fun books.

But I suspect that the highlight of my summer will be the two weeks my boyfriend, Ben, spends with us in the village. After being away from all of my friends and family in the US for 6 months, I am sure his visit will be a great encouragement as well as a lot of fun. Please pray that all of the necessary packing, preparations, and traveling goes smoothly.

Prayer Requests:
• With the ever-changing schedule of the last month, my one-on-one time with God has faltered. Please pray that I am able to get back into His Word and spend time with Him in prayer regularly.

• More than ever, I want my relationship with the girls to grow. Please pray that I know how to reach out to them, listen to them, and respond to them in a loving and Godly way. Prayer for discernment and wisdom is also needed here, because there’s a fine line between being too much of a teacher or a friend or a parent.

• In anticipation of Ben’s visit, I’ve been preoccupied with thoughts of my future. This summer, Ben and I will have been dating for 3 years and we are seeking God about His desire for our relationship. I suppose my prayer request is two-fold. One is that both Ben and I would know and willingly follow God’s Will for our lives and two is that I would be content with where God has me today and not fret about what the future may or may not hold.

• Although I seem to have great patience while teaching, I’ve noticed that my ability to disregard general commotion is waning. Not only does this make me more irritable, but it hurts my relationship with those creating the disturbance. Please pray that my alone-time is rejuvenating and that I learn to respond with love and not aggravation.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial gifts. James and Lisa continually tell me that my presence here is a blessing in many ways. It’s because of you and your support that I am able to be here and be a blessing to both their ministry as well as their family. I also have to thank you because you’re allowing me to learn and grow through this experience. I couldn’t be here without your faithfulness to God and His Will and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Please continue to keep me updated on your lives; I love to hear how you’re doing and what you’re up to!

Thank you again for giving me this opportunity and supporting me along the way.

Indebted to Christ and His Will,
Julie

The Village Sights and Sounds

Last month, I began talking about the village I live in by what I look at most often - the ground. Now I would like to describe the other, more distinguishing attributes it consists of. These characteristics can be divided into the landscape, the houses, and the people.

The Landscape

Our village is positioned on the side of a hill with a low grade. I wouldn’t have noticed this fact except that on one of our daily walks, the other missionary women took me on a new route which took us far from town and up another hill which provided us a view of our home. Of course, after I knew the village was built on a hill, I began to notice that we are constantly walking up- or downhill to go to town or come back home. As I mentioned before, our roads are more like dirt paths with giant ruts. These are lined with tall wispy grass and bushy undergrowth. Because these overgrown areas are great habitats for not-so-friendly pests, especially during Dry Season, they are usually burned with controlled fires. So most of the time you will see blackened patches of earth and rock next to roads and paths. Then there are the trees. What wonderful African trees! It took a while for me to notice how different they were from the ones in the States, but now it’s hard not to notice and be awed at God’s creativity. Everything is interesting such as the branching out of their limbs, the variation in leaves from long and smooth to large with rough edges to tufts of flowers, and how much fruit one tree can contain! Not only are the orange, mango, and avocado trees full, but so are the papaya trees! Now, until I came here I don’t think I’d seen a papaya much less seen it on a tree, so I guess I was a little shocked by the sheer size of the papayas here. Most are larger than the largest gourds I’ve seen in the States and some are easily the size of watermelons. Now imagine 10-15 of these massive fruits hanging from tree branches no larger in diameter than my forearm!

So although there isn’t much color on the ground, the trees make up for it with their foliage and fruit. I’ve also been told that when Rainy Season starts, all the dust that’s settled on everything (leaves, rocks, houses…) will be washed away and I will be amazed at the transformation that occurs and just how clean, shiny, and bright our village can be.

We just walked up half of this hill on our walk.
This is looking back down over the road toward town.

An orange tree we passed on one of our walks.

The Houses

We definitely do not live in a city, but by West African definitions, I would say we live more in a town rather than a village. I say this because almost everyone here lives in a concrete home surrounded by a concrete wall (which acts as a property line indicator more than a home defense system). There are a few concrete huts, but very few people live in thatched or mud huts. You see plenty of the latter inside compounds but they are used for livestock, kitchens, extra bedrooms for visitors, and tool storage.

Most of the concrete houses have at least a couple of barred windows with lockable metal shutters and a tin roof. The bars in the windows are present to prevent theft when you’re home and want the windows open for a breeze; the shutters are closed and locked to more thoroughly protect your home when you leave it unattended. Most missionaries make screens for their doors and windows that not only help keep the bugs out, but also dust. As for the tin roof, it is really only noticeable when it rains, because then it sounds like you’re in a can in the middle of a hail storm.

Two large African trees on a main road leading into town.
Those are houses in the background.

The People

Note: I am still very much at the beginning stage of learning about the people and culture I am living in, which means I can only describe what I see and understand, not people’s motivations or reasoning for what they say and do.

Other than learning the word “white person” or “western,” one of the first things you might discover when you get to our village is that - unlike in America - it is considered polite (and is almost expected) for you to greet people when you pass them. Whether on foot or on a motorcycle, whether going in the same direction or opposite ones, you must at least partake in a basic greeting. My conversational ability is incredibly limited, but I have learned the general construction of most portions of the extended greeting. Here is an example:

Person 1: I greet you.
Person 2: I greet you.
1: How is it where you came from?
2: Peace only. How is it where you came from?
1: Peace only. How is your family?
2: Peace only. How are your kids?
1: Peace only. How are your parents?
2: Peace only. How are your animals?
1: Peace only. …

I think you see the pattern. Although I can’t actually construct most of the "How" questions, I can usually recognize when they are asking me something that begs the "Peace only" answer.

When you encounter and greet people on the road, you’re bound to notice that they are definitely African. The clothes and methods of transporting goods and children are the epitome of a national geographic special. They sew their own clothes from cloth purchased in the market. Women wear straight wrap skirts with a matching top and headwrap. Whenever I wear my African outfit it’s hard to make my American fashion sense OK with being clothed in the exact same material from head to toe (literally). The traditional outfit for men is loose cloth pants with a long dress-length shirt that has side slits up to the hips for ease of movement. A more casual outfit for men is pants (younger men will wear jeans) and a shirt.

You’ll also notice that both men and women rarely ever carry anything in their arms if they’re going a considerable distance. Both men and women will just lift it right up and place it on their head and walk hands free. It seems that with this method the weight of the load doesn’t matter (especially if you have someone who can help you lift it). I’ve even seen men carry 50 kilo bags of rice on their heads - that’s about 110lb! Women too will carry 3 feet tall buckets filled to the brim with fruit and produce and never falter in step or have to steady a wobbly container. Now I would be impressed by this even if they were walking on smooth sidewalks in the States, but they can do it here! (See my previous post to more fully understand this.) I really would have thought it was impossible to walk on these rocky, rutted roads, up and down these hills and mountains, and never need to touch the load to steady it. It’s incredible on market day when there are lines of people walking into town with all of their goods to sell perched on top of their heads. I should also note that these men and women who come to market day with their goods aren’t just walking a few blocks, they’re walking for hours with these loads just to come sell them and then purchase what they need as well. (My next village entry should describe market day - it really is something to see and experience.)

The other item most women here carry are their babies, but there are no car seats, strollers, or any other manufactured baby transportation accessory. Their solution is to use a long blanket (made from bath towel-like material), place the baby on their lower back, and wrap the blanket around the baby and up over their breasts a few times and then tightly tuck in the ends of the blanket. Once the baby is secure on their backs they can do everything they need to do from cook over a fire, hand wash laundry on a washboard, sweep up leaves and dirt with a hand broom (that looks like the end of a stereotypical witch’s broom), or ride on a motorcycle with a large bowl of produce on her head and another child between her and the driver! These women are truly incredible! Now, before you women run out and try this new, cheap and convenient method of carrying children, I should warn you that there is one major disadvantage for women of the American culture (which you may have already considered). That is of course that your belly button soon has two new friends. Over here that is not really a big deal at all since breasts are simply seen as baby bottles and not as sexual objects. In fact, in our region, it is more socially acceptable to be topless than to go without a head wrap!

And I suppose on that note, I will wrap up this post. I pray that I can be as much of an encouragement to you as you are to me. Thank you for your prayers, e-mails, and love! It is with great joy and gratitude that I get to serve our Awesome God in this incredible way and that you are willing to join what He is doing in West Africa by supporting me.

Indebted to Christ and His Will,
Julie

One of the free-roaming cows
grazing outside our compound.

View of the surrounding hills (on a hazy day).
Looking carefully, you can see 3 or 4 hills in the distance.

A quick snapshot of a fenced-in yard
with a couple of thatch roofed huts.

A free-roaming hen with her chicks on a path
to the Litsey's compound.

Macro and Micro

Recently, on several occasions, I have been challenged to evaluate where I am spiritually and to truly seek out my intentions for my actions. In fact, it wasn’t until last night that I really saw all of the pieces come together. It’s always interesting how God will try to get my attention by putting something on my heart, but then I ignore it because it's uncomfortable. He keeps pressing, enlightening, and reminding me; all the while I am striving to evade His challenging revelation. By now I should know dodging God is as efficient as a child playing hide-and-go-seek with their parent. Despite that knowledge, my actions still reflect that of Jonah…

Thankfully, our God is passionate in His pursuit of us. His message was finally received last night, despite my best efforts to elude Him, while going through a chapter in C.S. Lewis’ the Screwtape Letters. Because it impacted me so much, I’ve included the portion of the chapter that really indentifies and describes the very essence of the lie I’ve been using to justify my actions of late (it follows my update). In summary, God has been telling me that I need to follow Him. My response has been that I am because I’m here in Africa, “following God’s Will.” And because I’m continually being reassured that God wants me here in Africa with the Litseys, I know that I am in fact within His Will.

The problem is that since I know I’m doing God’s Will, I then conclude that I can do whatever I want with my free time, because I’m done doing what God wants me to do. Well, for a while now I’ve felt that there was a flaw in my logic, but I didn’t want to face it because I was enjoying doing whatever I wanted during my free time. Then, last night, God couldn’t have made it any more clear that “my time” is not mine at all and never was. I realized that the fallacy I was falling into was in applying the “I’m following God’s Will” from the macro level to the micro level. Yes, I’m here and doing my job, but my heart is wrong. I’ve been taking joy in selfish, unfruitful actions instead of seeking God and seeing what eternal activities He might have me do.

Please don’t get me wrong, I know there’s a time and place for having fun and “me” time. The times that I’m referring to are ones where I knew I was misleading those around me in order to for them to think me busy so that I could have fun instead of being asked to help. They were also fun times that I knew I didn’t need, but wanted because the alternative could have been uncomfortable and challenging.

I’m pretty sure God has plans for me here that stretch beyond teaching, but I have to be open to them and be willing to work at them. God knew the first step in that process was to remind me to whom time really belongs and that I want to partake in eternal, lasting activities. I look forward to seeing how God leads me and what ministries He allows me to get involved in. Please pray that I am open, willing, and disciplined to allow Him to work however He desires through me.

Indebted to Christ and His (macro and micro) Will,
Julie

The Village Ground

I’ve wanted to describe where I’m living for all of you, but I could never find an adequate starting point. So I’ve decided to begin with what I look at most often — the ground.

I never noticed how much I took sidewalks, streets, pathways, sanitation departments, and animal/pest control for granted. The earth here is covered in volcanic rock. Red, orange, and brown gravel and dust covers the ground. Regardless of the color of your shoes, by the end of your first day here, they are brownish-tan. However, if dirt was the only issue, the paths we walk would not be worth examining. The real inherent danger is the rock-bed beneath the thin layer of dirt. This rock-bed has been precariously revealed so that it resembles a burnt-brick-colored Arctic Ocean of icebergs jutting up out of the ground. More than one of my toes has been bloodied from an unintentional kick to one of these unyielding masses. And don’t be fooled, the paths I walk are the same ones trucks and motos (our motorcycle taxies) drive on… or perhaps it’s more like off-roading.

As I’ve been here for about two months and walk the same path each day, I’ve learned the location of the most hazardous rocks and avoid them without much difficulty now. Why then do I continue to watch the ground when I walk? Well, another danger is present in quite a small foe, which is often mistaken for a branch lying harmlessly across your path. No, I’m not referring to a snake (but I will get to those next), no it’s much more ominous than that. I am talking about Chula. These are a most vicious type of ant that don't care about your size or ability to squash them. If you step on their trail they will climb on your feet and begin to mercilessly bite you, and they bite in rhythm with your pulse so the pain is even more shocking and amplified. Of course, stepping on their path is more pleasant than stepping on their anthill or walking into brush they’re occupying. Just last week one of the other missionaries was out on a trek and as he carefully made his way through thorny bushes (watching for Chula on the ground) he was assaulted from above when they poured down from the branches above onto his head, neck, shoulders, and back. Ouch!

So why are Chula worse than snakes? Well, snakes will try to escape your presence as soon as they become aware of it. Even though their bite can be deadly, it rarely occurs unless the snake is scared or provoked. Of course, if one were near a path, stepping on it would count as scaring and/or provoking it and would probably not end well for them.

Lastly, but by no means the least important, you must always be on guard for feces, because it is the most prevalent of all obstacles. Imagine you lived at the county fair and the only places you walked were in the barns and holding pens of the animals to be showed. Then you would understand the dance one must partake in when walking in our village. At this point, I should probably expound on how livestock is managed out here. Well, it’s quite simple, all livestock roams free. That means all cows, goats, sheep, chickens, cats, and dogs are everywhere. I found this strange when I realized how many fences and walls there are around. Well, wouldn’t you know it, those barriers were put there to keep animals out, not in. Sometimes you’ll even see a goat or sheep with a long stick being held around its neck that prevents it from entering doorless gates. One more interesting note before I return to my previous topic, the cows here are extremely docile, but have long pointy horns. The people here will slap them on their rears if they need them to get out of their way (you see that a lot in town), but I’m always a little nervous because these cows are powerful creatures that I don’t want to irritate. Anyway, back to the by-products of these animals that litters the roads. I’m becoming a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to detecting the presence of - and the specie who most likely deposited - the obstruction. Also, I have a new appreciation for anyone who tends to cattle and cleans their pens, simply because of the sheer volume of waste cows apparently produce.

Seeing the length of this post, I see that it may take several entries for me to adequately describe all of the aspects I desire to convey to you about this place. Please check back for more installments on The Village.

Until then, know that your prayers, emails, and support are so very much appreciated. I am so blessed to be able to serve the Church, our God and Christ by living and teaching here in West Africa.

Indebted to Christ and His Will,
Julie